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Originally Posted by roachboy
there is a real problem with this management literature notion of "leadership" that gets mapped onto politics in a psuedo-democratic system like the american.
.... you can use it to imagine this range of mediocrities as offering the system as a way out of the afterburn of the 7 profoundly dismal years of wholesale incompetence that we still endure, without a peep. it seems to me that any such cult of the leader is entirely out of phase with any relation, even remote, to a democratic process. not only that, but it appears infantile, like we are waiting for daddy to save us and daddy only visits on television.
as for the op, the corporate sector is quite big in the states--if you figure in shareholders (as you should)<h3> it designates an entire social class that has no particular understanding of its own class interests--so it is divided, with different groups aligning with different of the interchangeable centrist non-entities that are currently designated the "front-runners"</h3>---so it is a bit ridiculous to claim that hillary clinton in particular is in the pocket of corporate interests--you could attach it to almost all of the rational candidates (leaving ron paul to the side thereby)...for example, if you think that the bush people are not beholden to a faction within the american corporate sector, you're dreaming--but not all elements within the corporate sector understand neoliberalism as even sane, much less good for bidness, so there is a diversity of streams of corporate money animating this puppet show brought to you by cnn. but the underpinning of the "coverage" of this puppet show is entirely flows of corporate money at this point--the purpose of the show is to encourage you, the insignificant viewer, to identify your interests with one or another stream of corporate dollars. this is an index of the way in which the american polity is politically "free."
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roachboy, one "sport" along with corporate America, and the US military, have "channeled" what you described so succinctly and with such an inspiring economy of words, in your last post.
THEY have manipulated the "fans" to pay to wear the racing car sponsors' and the privately owned auto racing organization's symbols, logos, and names, on clothing that they buy and wear. The fans emulate on their own bodies, the advertisements that the drivers and race car teams GET PAID by the sponsors to appear in public wearing on their hats and uniforms and on body panels of the racing cars.
I see this phenomena as a possible answer to your:
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Originally Posted by roachboy
....as for the op, the corporate sector is quite big in the states--if you figure in shareholders (as you should) it designates an entire social class that has no particular understanding of its own class interests--so it is divided, with different groups aligning with different of the interchangeable centrist non-entities that are currently designated the "front-runners"
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In Manhattan, and in the tri-state metropolitan area that rings it, it is my observation that, compared to anywhere else in a south or southwest direction, it is still as if Nascar does not exist, let alone dominates. Nascar in much of the rest of the US is, in my opinion, a phenomena that has figured the majority of Americans "out", as I think roachboy has. It answers why many do not perceive what political beliefs are in their own best interests, as people in Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada, seem to have been more successful at doing.
If populism ever takes hold again in the US, Nascar could take a hard hit. I think it is a barometer of sentiment of "average" American attitude toward corporate dominance, and currently there is little resistance towards it, AND THE MONEY PARTY RULES POLITICS, NOT AT ALL UNLIKE THE WAY IT RULES NASCAR:
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http://web.archive.org/web/200403060...n-m-02-17.html
Shifting Gears
When it comes to presidential elections, there may be more to the NASCAR set than meets the eye.
By Matt Thompson
Web Exclusive: 2.17.04
....Some of the Republicanism here, especially among the younger members of the crowd, could be described as perhaps nothing more than brand loyalty.
NASCAR drivers cover every inch of their cars and uniforms with the brands of their corporate sponsors. Diehard fans mark themselves from head to hip with logos and tattoos to show solidarity with those drivers, surrendering every available inch of torso for companies to cover with product names. At any given minute, I'm passed by hundreds of walking advertisements for Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats, M&Ms, DuPont, Sharpie, Winston and Valvoline, among others.
To some at the race, "Republican" and "Democrat" are just two more words to add to the list. An enterprising Democratic candidate might woo these fans away from their loyalty to the label.
Consider Sean and Sean.
Sean Bugg, 22, is rooting for Rusty Wallace in today's race, and wears the jacket of Wallace's sponsor, Miller Lite. Sean Clark, 23, wears a Budweiser jacket in support of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Miller Lite Sean has the stronger political beliefs of the two, mostly based, he says, on the beliefs of his Republican parents. Budweiser Sean, if he votes at all, will probably vote for Bush, too.
"That Bush," Miller Lite Sean says, "he's going to keep shooting straight the whole time, basically. Bush is the one that went over there and handled shit, you know?"
"Yeah," chimes in Budweiser Sean, "Definitely handled that."
So is there anything a Democratic candidate could say to sway them?
"I don't know," Budweiser Sean says slowly, after a moment. "Don't know about that. I'd have to hear him talk first."
They're at least open to the possibility of changing their minds about who they're going to vote for. And even at the Daytona 500, a lot of people refuse to be labeled.
Steve Carlson, 32, sports no product logos on his clothes. He's not a big NASCAR fan, just someone who came to see if it would be a good show. He didn't vote in the last election, and doesn't know which way he'd have gone if he had. A Democrat could win his vote, he says, by "dropping [the] party nomination and going independent, saying, 'This is what I really believe.'"...
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NASCAR.COM - Nationwide Insurance to be sponsor of No. 2 series ...
NASCAR fans are more likely to feel loyal towards an insurance company that is a sponsor, according to the ESPN Sports Poll. Additionally, NASCAR fans are ...
http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/head...sor/index.html
http://www.onlyagame.org/features/2007/08/billboard.asp
The 200-MPH Billboard
Date: 8/30/2007
Mark Yost's book is about the rise of NASCAR as an exceptionally profitable and slick corporate entity, and it is also about the people who've embraced that entity.
NASCAR's fans wear the jackets and caps of its sponsors. They drink the coffee of the company that buys the right to put its decal on the sleeve of their favorite driver. They sign up for bank cards bearing the images of those drivers. They pat their sons on the back when, high on the roar and adrenaline of the race track, those sons stop at the Army recruiting booth between the oval and the parking lot and enlist for Iraq.
This is no exaggeration. Exaggeration may not be possible in the context of NASCAR. Here is what Yost writes about the recruiting efforts at one especially well-attended race:
"The 82nd Airborne glee club sang prior to the start of the Daytona 500. As country duo Big & Rich hit the final notes of the National Anthem, U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats screamed overhead. The patriotism Pulsing through the stands was palatable (sic), and I'm sure making some teenagers -- and their parents -- think about stopping at one of the kiosks on the way out and asking, 'Where can I sign up?'"
This is not to suggest that all NASCAR fans equate patriotism with charging into war. The crowds at the track are big. There must be some people in the horde who are less than delighted that the President of the United States lied to them about his reasons for unleashing "shock and awe" on Iraq and then so thoroughly botched the war that even many of his former supporters have jumped ship.
But The 200-MPH Billboard shines a little light on the crowd that's hungry for thrills and heroes and one of the industries that's thriving mightily by manufacturing them, whether or not that was the author's intent.
http://www.egroupnet.com/3m/home.asp
Welcome to the home for 3M NASCAR Branded Merchandise!
3M is excited about its partnership with Greg Biffle and Todd Kluever for the 2007 season. This website is your exclusive source for official 3M NASCAR apparel and merchandise.
NASCAR Facts
* NASCAR is the #2 brand in America - ahead of Google and iPod.
* The Daytona 500 race draws larger crowds than a Super Bowl, NBA Finals game, and World Series game combined
* Over 40% of the 75 million NASCAR fans in the United States are women.
* 89% of NASCAR fans say, "When I see the NASCAR logo on something, I know it will be a quality product."
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=3705
BLOG | Posted 06/21/2005 @ 7:09pm
Recruiters Sink to New Lows
...Activists are holding rallies to raise awareness, urging families to tell schools to keep their personal data private. A student-led campaign at a high school in Montclair, New Jersey, convinced more than 80 percent of the student body to keep their private information hidden from recruiters.
Then there's NASCAR. Our US military is spending millions of dollars a year recruiting young men at NASCAR races. As the Air Force's superintendent of motorsports said (according to the AP, that's actually his jobomgsuperintendent of motorsports), NASCAR is the military's "target market." The Army alone is spending $16 million a year at NASCAR events. Each branch of the Armed Forces sponsors NASCAR race drivers and they set up recruiting booths outside of NASCAR events. This "belly-to-belly selling," the superintendent of motorsports explained, enables the military to woo potential recruits "face to face." ...
<img src="http://youbeenblinded.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/army-nascar-jackets.jpg">
http://www.military.com/NASCAR
Army Closes out Season Strong
<img src="http://images.military.com/pics/nascar_111907.jpg"><br><i>Mark Martin ended the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season Sunday with a solid ninth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. More</i>
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1109/p12s02-alsp.html
In the fast lane, NASCAR draws plenty of converts
Once considered a second-class circuit compared with Indy car drivers and Formula 1, NASCAR has become a hot ticket for racers from rival circuits.
By Erik Spanberg | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the November 9, 2007 edition...
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